South Africans should work together to rise to international level – top runners
SA's best road race athletes suggest they train together like internationals do.
The issue of international runners competing in South Africa has become ever more contentious in recent years, with some speaking against the increasing dominance of foreigners, while others welcome them.
It is highlighted at South Africa’s biggest events: The Comrades Marathon, the Two Oceans Marathon, SPAR Grand Prix and Om Die Dam, and not so much at local club runs, where the prize money is not lucrative enough to attract the most successful internationals.
But this is not an issue endemic to South Africa. It is found worldwide, and organisers have to choose between keeping prize money unprejudiced of a runner’s background or awarding an extra monetary incentive to the top local runners.
It is a catch-22 situation as the hosts must try to keep both local and international runners motivated.
Even though international athletes have dominated the SPAR Grand Prix series of late, most top local runners welcome the competitiveness they bring.
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Adele Broodryk, who made waves by coming third in this year’s Comrades Marathon – the first South African to cross the line – in her debut run, said it was up to South Africans to step up to the level of the internationals.
“I feel there should be international competition as I will always give my best… I think we should see where we lie internationally,” said Broodryk, who finished behind Alexandra Morozova and Dominika Stelmach from Russia and Poland respectively in the Comrades.
“We need to work together to bridge the gap. We all train individually and we are too scared to let anyone else see what we are doing. If the top contenders had training camps and helped each other, we would do well. I feel the top contenders and their talents are still hidden.”
The holder of a PhD in Sports Science was speaking at the SPAR Grand Prix Joburg race on October 2, where only three of the top 10 finishers were South African.
The first South African home, Glenrose Xaba of Boxer Athletic Club, was a whole 57 seconds behind first-placed Tadu Nare of Ethiopia.
Still, she was awarded R10 000 by SPAR for being the first South African to cross the line, and only had good things to say about the internationals.
“They [the internationals] push us,” she said.
“Other African athletes help each other but us [South Africans], we do not help each other. We need to work together.”
Top athletes and their coaches in attendance at the race’s media briefing shared this belief.
